The last week of January typically means the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, as it did this year. Walking through the massive Exhibit Hall, it’s easy to see the results of research and development in the mammoth equipment and sophisticated services on display. But that’s probably not the lens most folks are looking […]
Science Can Save Us.
Honoring Mom
When I was a kid, wishing for Friday or summer break or the Christmas holidays, my mom would warn me not to “wish my life away.” As I get older, I see the value in appreciating what’s so before rushing on to what’s next. So, rather than greet the end of this challenging year with […]
Give to Grape Research
This Giving Tuesday, Give to Grape Research National Grape Research Alliance Invites Holiday Donors to Help Sustain the Grape and Wine Industry through Science SACRAMENTO, CA, November 19, 2025 — For many people, charitable giving is a cherished holiday tradition. The national Giving Tuesday campaign, celebrated on December 2 this year, mobilizes the power of […]
ASEV-NGRA Vineyard Nutrition Symposium Takes Place in Boise This June
From California to Idaho: ASEV Brings the Science of Vineyard Nutrition to a New Frontier DAVIS, Calif., November 17, 2025 — Bringing together vineyard researchers, enologists, and growers from across the nation, the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV), in association with the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA), will host the Vineyard Nutrition Symposium in Boise, Idaho, […]
Real People (With Big Brains)
One year ago, Mario Pezzotti, an agricultural geneticist and founder of an Italian biotech company called EdiVite and professor at the University of Verona, planted the world’s (or at least Europe’s) first known gene-edited grapevines, Chardonnay in this case, not in a growth chamber or greenhouse or even screenhouse, but in a vineyard outside. Mario […]
Grapevine Genetics: The Final Frontier
September is the best time to enjoy the majestic beauty of our vineyards. Regardless of your preference—wine, raisin, table or juice grapes—Mother Nature has provided a variety of berry shapes, sizes, colors, aromas and flavors to enjoy. The diversity of grape varieties results from the differences in their genetic code. Some of those differences evolved […]
Future Focus
When WineAmerica’s Jim Trezise, a longtime NGRA Board member, invited me to write a “Future Focus” feature for his weekly WineAmerica Perspectives e-newsletter on August 22, I knew immediately what I’d write about: grape genetics. It’s not a topic that most in the grape and wine industry would say applies to them or their business—at […]
Mothballing: Considerations When Taking Vineyards Out of Production
Cristopher C. Chen, Ph.D., Cooperative Extension, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Hopland Research and Extension Center, CA In 2024, the CDFA Grape Crush Report provided data that supports what winegrape growers are experiencing; tonnage of winegrapes crushed in California was down by approximately 21% from 2023 and approximately 20% when compared […]
Safeguarding US Vines and Wines from Wildfire Smoke
By Arran Rumbaugh, USDA Agricultural Research Service As the severity and frequency of wildfires increase globally, the grape and wine industry faces the risk of smoke exposure in its vineyards. Researchers across grape-growing regions are dedicated to elucidating the complex impacts of smoke exposure on grapevine physiology, grape chemistry and wine quality. While it is […]
The Pizza Test
Research takes time. And really big, complex research projects require teams of people, collaborating, advising and managing the work to accomplish game-changing results, typically within four or five years. That’s a long time to work together, managing millions of dollars and attempting to solve priority problems with people you may not know very well—if at […]